Syrsky to NATO colleagues: Situation at front difficult, critical need to strengthen air shield
Russia is using a combined group of troops with a total number of more than 715,000 people to continue the war against Ukraine, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky during a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the level of commanders-in-chief in the format of a video link.
"In a briefing to my Alliance colleagues, I shared information on the operational situation at the front, which remains difficult," he wrote on his Telegram channel following Thursday’s meeting.
According to him, Russia is using a combined force of more than 715,000 troops to continue its war against Ukraine. "Russia also continues to carry out missile and air strikes on critical targets in our economy, primarily in the energy sector, attempting to affect Ukrainians in the rear with darkness and cold," Syrsky added.
He also informed NATO colleagues that Ukraine’s most critical need is strengthening its air shield. "A significant shortfall in air defense systems prevents us from fully protecting the civilian population and critical infrastructure," he emphasized.
Syrsky presented the participants with a detailed list of the Armed Forces’ needs and expressed deep gratitude for the consistent support Ukraine has received in facing a superior opponent. "The Armed Forces of Ukraine value all the tools of cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance that are currently available," Syrsky said.
He said NATO colleagues expressed their readiness to continue supporting Ukraine.
"I emphasized that our top priority must remain creating conditions for a just peace by strengthening our military capabilities. Taking the opportunity, I invited the NATO Military Committee to make a visit to Ukraine this year," the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine summarized.
